Ep. 376 - Planes, Trains and Automobiles: A Kiwi Shares Her Experience on Disney Cruise Line

00:00.50 dclduo Who welcome back everybody to this week's episode of the DCL duo podcast brought to you by my path unwinding travel and sam you know what time it is review time mail call mail call all right this review this week comes from Sarah Webb who writes I have so enjoyed. 00:11.74 Sam It's review time. Woohoo. 00:20.47 dclduo Should say again our review this week comes from Sarah our review this week comes from Sarah Webb who writes great listen I have so enjoyed this podcast and listening to all the different viewpoints from guests and from sam and Brian I've been able to. Pick up some great tips and tricks as well as just relive the magic until we're able to get on our next cruise this has been my happy place just getting to go and stick my head in the Disney clouds. These guys are so easy to listen to and very wellpoken Thanks guys. Well Sam you're wellpoken and what do you think about that I mean you got you've got a career in litigation. So I think that's probably a good. 00:49.57 Sam Ah, ah yeah I would I would hope so but um I appreciate the comment Sarah that's ah we're very happy to oblige you with sticking your head in the Disney clouds. Um, that's what we like to do every single day. We don't. 00:54.52 dclduo Ah, good trait to have right. 01:07.70 dclduo I I think I think some listeners accuse us of sticking our heads someplace else but we won't get into that This is a family friendly show. But ah yeah. 01:08.50 Sam Get to. Yeah, ah, this is a family show Brian no, but actually I'm super excited because she mentioned you know different views and different perspectives and we have a guest today who I think is going to offer perhaps a very different perspective. Then the one that we are used to having and that is because she comes from all the way across the pacific ocean and she lives in New Zealand she's a kiwi so most of our guests of course are american with the occasional brit you know so mixed in here. But now we've got. Lauren from New Zealand joining us today. Thank you Lauren for joining us. Oh I love it bringing out the maori I like like it. 01:52.40 Lauren Kyoda thank you for having me. 01:57.30 dclduo Yeah, we just discovered the remakes of Disney's songs in Mayora we talked to someone else from Australia New Zealand the other day and she pointed us that direction and I've been listening to a few of those remakes are really really really lovely so yes great to have you joining us all the way from down under and so can't wait to talk about this cruise. But. Before we dive into the specific cruise Lauren we always like to get folks his background with cruising I believe this might have been your first cruise ever and your first Disney Cruise ever but have you had any other experience with the with Disney. 02:27.10 Lauren Yeah, so this was my first ever cruise it's something I've always wanted to do but never really had the opportunity and with Disney I mean I grew up as a massive Disney fan certainly as a child I was. Playing those vhs tapes again and again and again and um I think orange probably every single classic both in book and Dvd or vhs form. But other than going to Tokyo Disney when I was about 13 I have no other real um face-to-face Disney experience. So it was very exciting to finally have the opportunity to experience some magic like this on this side of the world. Yeah. 03:12.66 Sam Wow, that's awesome for those listening for those kids out there who don't know what a Dvd or v a chess tape is that's what we had before we ever had streaming. That's like pre-internet um movies. 03:20.20 dclduo Yeah. 03:24.38 Lauren Hey. 03:30.80 Sam You know it's funny I think about it but you know really kids nowadays like our son who's 10 has no concept of when you know movies and Tv didn't just like stream onto the Tv. Yeah so very very strange. 03:44.65 dclduo Yeah I remember having to pack Dvds in my suitcase for cruises long cruises when they'd still provide you with like a Dvd player in the room. So yeah, yes, and they had libraries on board where you could. You could read physical books and get vhs taste for your room. Yeah, so there you go. Ah. 03:47.16 Lauren Oh my gosh. 03:49.75 Sam Ah, ah how crazy? Um, yeah. 03:58.50 dclduo Well Lauren this ah this whole concept of disney sailing out of Australia New Zealand is pretty well is very new. This is the first year they're doing it. Um, you know how excited were you to see Disney coming your direction and you know did your friends and family think you were nuts for going on a Disney Cruise 04:15.24 Lauren I was so excited. Um I I have a bit of a confession though. Um when they first announced that did you met when they first announced that Disney Magic at sea was coming over to New Zealand I I was so excited but I was not in a position to be booking a cruise whatsoever I was I think I just graduated from university and was just trying to you know start this new chapter of my life and. It was very much a dream. It was a closer dream but it was still very much a dream. So I think my family definitely did think I was crazy but that's probably more because we ended up booking our sailing three weeks out 05:00.51 dclduo Oh my gosh. Wow. 05:02.00 Sam And wow that's very last minute now we have had we have some friends who booked the night before a cruise which is I mean just crazy. But yeah, three weeks is yeah but but three weeks is still very. 05:06.93 Lauren Yeah. 05:11.23 Lauren Yeah. 05:12.58 dclduo Yeah, Cra Craig and Kelly were talking about you now if it's not obvious but yes, ah. 05:21.56 Sam Belated so what? Yeah, what made you you know pull that trigger and or click that button and say I'm going to go on on this cruise in three weeks yeah 05:33.46 Lauren Yeah, so I think there were a few different reasons. Um, the first being that when I graduated from University It had been my dream and my goal to actually go on a cruise as like a graduation gift for myself. And unfortunately I graduated right around the time where um covid was sort of really causing a lot of shutdowns and delays still in the cruising industry and also where it wasn't really as socially acceptable shall I say to just be jumping on what my. Some of my friends would call a plague boat. Um, so yeah, so I sort of was pretty crushed to realize that um that dream of cruising was you know that little bit further away at that time and then when I and saw that. Ah. 06:06.97 dclduo With. 06:22.17 Lauren Disney were coming to the side of the globe I thought wow this is my chance. But unfortunately I've also um, been quite unwell for the past few years and spent quite a bit of time in hospital. So it is really hard to sort of pre-plan these things and to obviously book something so far in advance when I didn't know how. 06:31.35 dclduo Yeah. 06:40.61 Lauren I would be doing physically was quite a stressful thing to do. But yeah, we we keep talking about it I kept thinking about it and when I realized that because the saling was so soon the prices were pretty pretty good and the opportunity was there I thought hey that's do it. And my friend and I had joked about it and then all of a sudden it was a real thing and oh my goodness I cannot tell you how exciting but also stressforward is to book your very first cruise as well. But to book a sailing three weeks from departure because there was so much to organize so much to do. And it was literally all I lived and braved for that entire three weeks so yeah it was when we actually got to embeng oh my gosh when we actually got to embarkation day I was I was so excited but also very relieved because it it was a lot. 07:23.38 Sam Wow. 07:37.99 Lauren Yeah. 07:38.98 Sam Yeah, well, we're sorry to hear that you've been unwell, but we're happy that you were well enough to obviously book the sailing and then go on this um sailing so was the timing then just sort of. Coincidence it just kind of worked out with the you know or was there something about so you did an an Auckland to Auckland let's call it. Um, so a a closed loop ah a a sailing to nowhere on the Disney wonder. 07:59.38 Lauren Yes, okay. 08:07.10 Sam And I say that is because it went to sea and it did not make any port stops along the way and and you did a three night sailing was that particular sailing just it just kind of worked out timing wise. 08:19.82 Lauren Yeah, so there were a few options we could have had but I think given the short timeframe. It would have been really challenging to try and go from New Zealand to Australia which was one of the options purely because then we would have been having to think about. Ah. The international aspect of it and that would have been a bit more complicated with flights and you know passports and things like that. So doing this particular sailing meant that we could pop up to Auckland which is about just under 2 hours flight from where I live and then go on this. 08:36.77 Sam So right. 08:56.70 Lauren Cruise for a few days. It was my first one. So also I wasn't entirely sure how my body was going to handle it and how I was going to actually like it so it was nice to just have that little taster which I think you guys have recommended before and I'm definitely glad I followed that advice so that I could just get. Ah, bit of a taste even though now I'm desperate from war and then after the crewise finished we could go home and yeah, not have to have quite so much admin because even even domestically like even just traveling within New Zealand it was. It was a lot to organize it a lot especially from the health side of things I had to take a lot of like medical supplies with me. So. 09:14.90 Sam I. 09:31.40 Sam 80 09:33.26 Lauren Doing that internationally or doing that for a longer period of time but have probably still been quite a challenge. So yeah. 09:40.58 Sam Yeah, well let's talk about the the planning side before we dive into the actual cruise. Um, you've only got three weeks to plan. Um, you know you've got to obviously get enough of your medication to take with you pack it all up. Get all ready to go but what. About like the the stuff on board like was there anything at that point available to book on board because obviously everybody's you know, booking windows had been open for some time at that point I imagine most of the people who were sailing were first time cruisers because um. 10:07.25 Lauren Yeah. 10:17.29 Sam You know, obviously this first year Disney had ever been to New Zealand or Australia but was was there anything available to book or were you not even like I don't need to worry about that I'll just do stuff and figure it out on board. 10:34.40 Lauren Yeah, so certainly there was a lot of excitement and a lot of hype from kiwis and aussies I think a majority of the people on my sailing were from New Zealand but we did have a few australians who had came over either on ah another sailing and then you know done. Another league or who had come over specifically to sail with us. Ah, but they they were all learning as we went along but because of social media and all of the um cruising Facebook groups a lot of people were quite clued up as to what you know to expect and what to do before you board. So. 11:10.48 dclduo Here. 11:12.28 Lauren Ah, did mean that yes everything was sold out I I think we possibly could have looked at getting some of the like room decor or some of those little packs for your rooms which were nice but not necessarily what we were looking for in our first cruise. So. We did just have to hope that once we boarded we might be able to join a waitlist if there was a particular thing we were wanting to do and things like that. But also because it was our first time we were just happy to be on board and we were just really looking forward to figuring things out as we went and. Realizing that we definitely would need more time if we actually wanted to do everything on the ship. So. It's probably good that we didn't have too many additional activities or things books like we didn't go to parlo for example, which I am gutted about but at the same time I don't think that we would have really had the time like it's. 12:01.66 Sam So yeah. 12:01.83 dclduo Yeah. 12:03.75 Lauren I wouldn't have properly enjoyed it. You know? So yeah, the 1 thing that we did really want to do was go to the royal gathering which was sold out at that time or booked out at that time and when we boarded the ship we went straight to guest services and were put on the waitlist and were fortunately I think ended up being the very last. Passengers on at the very last royal gathering to um, get em mission great so that was really really special and very exciting that they all kind of worked out in the end. But yeah. 12:34.36 dclduo How was the ah I'm just curious because you know over here. We're constantly complaining about the technology to book things and that sort of stuff I mean it sounds like you were close enough in time. Maybe you didn't experience the crush of that but you know leading up to the cruise you've got to book it. You know. Potentially do some activity booking through the app and then also you know, check in for the cruise to the app did things work pretty smoothly for you throughout that process. 12:54.90 Lauren Um, yeah I think so I think it was quite hit and miss over here. Ah like for everyone we obviously booked. Yeah, so last minute that we were able to check in straight away and we were quite lucky in that the. 13:08.16 dclduo Who. 13:12.43 Lauren I Think a lot of people had issues with submitting photographs for identification. Um, that would be declined. We were accepted straight away and even though you know it is a manual process so it took a little while to have things all confirmed. We still managed to get. 13:16.30 dclduo We. 13:31.30 Lauren Our baggage tags before our sailing which I think wasn't super common for everybody who had booked and those people had booked you know months and months of not a year in advance so it was really luck of the draw in some ways and yeah, we we found the. Process all should be pretty smooth I don't think we had any issues but certainly I saw on some of the you know Facebook groups and things that they were people who really struggled. But no, we we were very lucky which was a relief because it was stressful enough having to play and everything in such a short space of time. So yeah. 14:05.18 Sam Yeah, one you know thing that people sometimes eat to think about doing is contacting special services and I say this because you know if you're bringing on any kind of you know, medical devices. Um, or. 14:17.66 Lauren Yes. 14:20.63 Sam You know things like that you often need to have contact with special services ahead of time or at least it makes it easier if you do did you have to go through any of that Lauren. 14:31.79 Lauren Yeah, so I actually I did contact special services for a few reasons. The first being that initially we weren't really sure what you know water involved in terms of if there was any. Ah. I guess special things that we needed to do for me to be able to bring that equipment on board. Um, and then also I am fortunate enough I guess and that um while I'm a wheelchair user I'm an ambulatory wheelchair user. So I am able to still walk and stand for you know shorter periods of time and so. Sort of then became the discussion of do I bring my wheelchair with me or do I you know use 1 on board if I need to how is that going to work is that just going to end up being more of a you know more of a hindrance than anything else or things like that and so. 15:12.81 Sam So. 15:24.20 Lauren Yeah I think I ended up speaking with special services twice in that threeweek period and they were so helpful and really really easy to deal with I I think they were also quite excited to be speaking with someone from New Zealand which is really squee. Yeah yeah. 15:26.26 Sam It is. 15:36.99 dclduo Length. 15:38.16 Sam Yeah I bet I bet they were it is It's different just a different experience for them. Obviously. 15:43.57 Lauren Ah, yeah, but no, they were really helpful and it was a super straightforward process. There was no issues whatsoever with me bringing medical equipment on board and in fact, actually without jumping ahead too much when we did get out. 15:51.27 Sam E. 16:01.71 Lauren Bags after checking in my medical bag was untouched but it was actually my personal luggage that looked like it had been opened and gone through which I I found really amusing purely because my medical bag was probably much more exciting in terms of what was inside it. So yeah, but. 16:19.44 dclduo Ah. 16:19.53 Lauren No no issues at all. Ah, the only other thing we did do actually is I contacted people prior as well to discuss the dining because because we booked so like we were automatically put into that late dining session and although we joined the waitlist for the early dining at that point I. 16:27.46 Sam It is. 16:27.56 dclduo Hey. 16:33.80 Sam Sure. 16:39.43 Lauren Figured I might as well try and ask to see if we could change purely because um I'm able to eat but only small amounts and eating so late at night was really not the best for me. Yeah, and so I did see if I could get it changed prior to going on our sailing but I'm all. 16:47.41 Sam Oh yeah, yeah yeah. 16:51.94 dclduo Ah, me. 16:57.75 Lauren Honestly, so grateful that we ended up having to stick with it because it was a perfect dining period and I think going forward I would just do it anyway. I've just made the rest of the time on the ship that much easier and probably better. Actually I mean Also there was enough children in now dining but it was. 17:10.42 Sam This is. 17:16.12 Lauren I Can only imagine how much busier and probably more chaotic their early dying sessions are so yeah, it was years. 17:20.52 dclduo Oh night and day night and day at times. Yeah, yeah. 17:23.69 Sam Oh yes, yeah, oh yeah, and and we and the shows reflect that too. We always do we we warn people. So if you're big into the shows like I am you know if you go the earlier show while there will be some kids there. Um, it will be a lot less. Ah, children then the late show because it's you because you eat opposite your dining and so yeah I very much prefer the early show and the late dining and that's one of 1 of many reasons why but I guess the I guess the question then for you Lauren would be is were you able to. 17:44.79 Lauren Yeah. 18:00.51 Sam I Mean there's a lot of food available on the ship between the cabanas and the pool deck and then of course the dining rooms were you able to you know were you able to be accommodated as far as your you know your eating so that you could. 18:03.68 Lauren Yeah. 18:15.29 Sam You know, eat smaller amounts over a period of time. Obviously dinner is very a lot of food. Very heavy dinners. 18:22.37 Lauren Yeah, no, it was Fantastic. Actually I think we I'm very grateful to have resources like you guys and there are also a lot of ah kiwi and Australian vloggers and people who had been documenting. Their time on the wonder which was really helpful because it did mean that when we set foot on the ship. We We had more of an idea about where to go what to do and what to expect? So I was able to really plan out my day in terms of okay well we might you know go to Kabaers for breakfast. 18:46.41 Sam This is. 18:58.60 Lauren But then at lunchtime we'll definitely grab a bite by the pool because there is so many options and you know if I only want to have a little bit I can have that there but then later on we could also go and maybe get some ice cream or you know, but yeah, really was so flexible. 19:02.62 Sam Within. 19:14.14 Lauren And it was also really sweet. Our servers were fantastic. Um I remember on our very first night of dining. We sat there and I was very overwhelmed. There was a lot going on it was you know all of a sudden it was and we also we went to Tiana's and so it was like our very first dinner. Yeah, it was like baptism by fire. 19:22.25 Sam Is this. 19:29.13 Sam Oh gosh, it's very loud. Yeah, it's ah yeah, it's Marty Grad Night yeah 19:33.90 Lauren Very loud and a big party. Yeah amazing. But I remember I said to my so I said oh excuse me um, could I please have a kid's menu and he looked at me and he was like yes yes of course and he goes Away. He brings back This kid's menu and then I sit there. A caloring for the rest of the dinner which was fantastic but B was able to order something that was a little bit more my size and also something that was a little bit easier for my body to handle because I feel like a lot of the Adult. Um. 20:03.70 dclduo Here he. 20:07.96 Lauren Meals were very rich which is fantastic but not quite so good for someone like myself and it was really great too because from that first night it meant that we rocked up to our second dinner the next evening I think our second rotation we went to. 20:08.43 Sam Yes. 20:25.86 Lauren Or where did we go oh my god that's right? Yeah yeah, so I think our second rotation we rocked up to Tritons and. 20:28.50 Sam Would have been either lumieres or Miss sorry tritons or animators. 20:34.81 dclduo Animators. 20:40.77 Lauren Without even having to say anything there. It was the table was set with a kids menu right? there for me which was just the most special thing because you know it wasn't a oneoff I did want to order from the kids menu every evening and it was just so nice to not have to make a big deal of it and for. 20:50.10 Sam Okay. 20:57.33 Lauren Service to so be so accommodating and accepting of that and so it did make it a lot easier and even though we did eat a lot later at night because we were in the late dining because we weren't generally going to bed straight away because there were so many other things going on you know with deck shows and then also like the after hours. Things in the Caterette lounge and yeah and is your and things it was. It was actually not as bad as I was expecting which I was really really, really relieved about. 21:17.27 Sam Um, yeah. 21:25.19 Sam Oh awesome, all right? Well we've got to back up. We've been talking about food quite a bit but we've got to back up and talk about embarkation you obviously you know you travel to the port up in Auckland and. 21:37.63 Lauren Yes. 21:40.53 Sam How is the the boarding process was it chaos there or was it relatively smooth. 21:45.70 Lauren Okay, so just to preface this Ah we we did something that I I would say you guys would not recommend doing and we traveled on the day so to get from my house to you from my house. 21:58.87 Sam Oh no. 22:02.48 dclduo Yeah, she made it on the ship Sam She made it on the ship. Don't give her a hard time. Ah. 22:04.40 Lauren To the ship come on so to get from my house to the ship I took a car and then a plane and then a bus and then a train and then we walked maybe a few hundred meters 22:17.29 Sam Oh my goodness. Oh my good. 22:20.71 dclduo Ah. 22:23.82 Lauren And we're at the ship and it was the most chaotic but exciting experience of my life and we we we did well like we did have a lot of time we we I think our boarding time was one forty five pm so we probably our flight was maybe 10 something. 22:31.46 Sam E. 22:37.42 Sam This is. 22:43.74 Lauren So we had some. We had some time it it was it I'm sorry it was it was exciting. Yeah, um, when we got there though. It was fantastic because obviously we we weren't needing to drop our bags off first or anything like that we were able to just. Ah. 22:43.88 Sam Oh my goodness you're terrifying me Lauren but ah. 23:02.44 Lauren You know, go straight onto the Shep so we well we dropped off our bags and then continued on through the boarding and chicken process and there were a lot of people I'll give you that but it was so straightforward. It felt very smooth. Ah there were no real issues. We didn't have to wait. Ah. 23:02.51 Sam With it. 23:20.50 Lauren Outside the terminal at all. We sort of just went straight in and the only real waiting we did was waiting to actually be checked in which even then was a pretty quick process. So now it was all very smooth and I was almost probably quite grateful to be 1 of those later times because I think it meant that a lot of that kind of. 23:21.90 Sam You see. 23:34.75 Sam Sure. 23:39.45 Lauren Chaos had died down because people kind of had figured out what they needed to do and it wasn't quite so I know there was a lot of people that tried to turn up early and you know would get turned away and that sort of thing and I knew a we couldn't do that because we were. We had the amount of time. But be yeah, we we knew not to So. Yeah, it was really easy. 23:58.46 Sam Awesome! All right? Well you are you know on the gangway you are entering the beautiful Disney Wonder were you able to enter into the atrium of the ship or did you have to enter on a ah different deck I ask that because. Yeah, there is some variation based on what port you're sailing out of. 24:15.66 Lauren Yeah, no, so we were able to enter into the atrium I was very excited and also we had We had to have a deep discussion. My friend and I as to what we wanted to be announced as yeah. 24:24.13 Sam Right? What name? Yeah, what? what name do they announce theynounce your last name her last name but your first name's out. Yeah. 24:28.54 dclduo What. 24:34.54 Lauren Yeah, so we be with Lauren and Emma which was fantastic. Um I would love to Cruise Solo just so I could be announcers Lauren because I think that's great. But yeah, it was very exciting and it was hard not to get emotional. Just. 24:40.97 Sam Yeah I love it. Yeah. 24:41.26 dclduo And. 24:50.40 Lauren Oh gosh I'm gonna get emotional now hard not to get emotional just walking on and um, seeing everything in person. Yeah. 24:54.82 Sam Oh I Love that. 24:57.17 dclduo So I I I heard from the other person I talked to from New Zealand that ah this announcing your name when you boarded the ship was catching a lot of people I don't want to say by surprise or off guard but like it's not sort of. Within keeping of New Zealand culture that it's sort of like people are like what is going on here right now was was that kind of your experience as well. 25:19.74 Lauren yeah yeah I mean I think I knew to expect it which was which was good, but certainly yeah I would agree. It's not really something that kiwis do you know we we have something um, called. Tool poppy syndrome whereas if anybody is sort of being too loud or too out there too sort of I guess proud really or if anything too Disney in the respect that you know was sort of putting on a show. We're like no no sh like yeah yeah, gosh goodness me like you know and so it was. 25:39.82 Sam Um, yeah, yeah, yeah, 2 center of attention. 25:48.64 dclduo And. 25:51.29 Lauren It was It was weird to be feeling so special and to have all the attention on you and people clapping for you and waving and but I think that it's just not something. Yeah, we're really used to because we don't have a lot of that here. Um to be exposed to So yeah, like yes. 26:03.11 dclduo Easy easy. 26:05.13 Sam Yeah I'll tell you this is a very american thing Laura ah look at me look at me. 26:11.15 Lauren Yeah, you're a lot of very American things I think on the ship that I've said Wow but some of them are great. Some of them are a bit strange but you know it's just different. It's like it's almost like a culture shock in the awareness way. Yeah. 26:23.14 Sam Yep, that just cracks me up all right? Well you get onto the ship you're getting a little emotional after they announce your name and everyone's clapping. But what did you think of the wonder and and how she looked and you know did you. Go exploring right away or what was your sort of first plan of action. Yeah. 26:44.38 Lauren Yeah, well I think as I said before we we got on and straightaway off to guest services because I wanted that Royal gathering. Um yes, so we went there and that was a really straightforward process and then from there I think we did what. 26:50.62 Sam And oh that's right for the princesses. Yeah. 27:01.93 Lauren Every other person I've seen um, do on that ship is we turned around and then just started walking straight towards what would be tianana's and you know we realized quickly. Oh no, we don't actually want to go this way. We want to go to Kabana's so we. 27:10.10 Sam I. 27:16.20 Sam Is here. 27:19.39 Lauren Turned around and then kind of wandered around steering at things going Wow and everyone saying hello and it was all very exciting but it was like oh my goodness we actually hear what's happening and we somehow managed to find the elevators and or the lifts as we would call them and. 27:37.80 Sam Ah. 27:37.77 Lauren We um, went up to dick 9 and fortunately came out at the right place and were able to join the line for some lunch which of course we were by that point pretty hungry after our big journey from home. So yeah. 27:51.81 Sam Um, absolutely now did you end up um, bringing your wheelchair or did you end up um, deciding to leave that back at home. 27:59.91 Lauren Yeah, so I actually did not bring my wheelchair in the end. Um, the main reason being apart from our big journey to get to the ship which would have just made things that much more stressful so I already had 2 big suitcases with me. Um I realized that. 28:04.13 Sam You. 28:14.71 Sam He. 28:18.26 Lauren When it came to boarding the ship I would be responsible for my wheelchair until our room was ready and because I wasn't sure how long that would be I thought that it might be easier not to bring it because I mean I think because I was feeling okay I didn't want to have to be obviously pushing it around. 28:23.13 Sam E. 28:23.31 dclduo Me. 28:35.61 Sam Right. 28:37.50 Lauren But also I wanted to be able but to walk when I could because it's you know a lot bitter for my body and a lot better for my um mental and physical health. Really? so yeah I decided to leave it at home. But. Was able to you know, be pointed in the direction of the chairs on the ship and they were really accommodating with that too. So I felt quite confident when I needed one that it wasn't there for me and that was yeah, no issue but it was a hard decision and I think if I was to go on a longer sailing or should go on 1 that actually had stops I would bring my own but. 29:09.10 Sam Um, yeah, well and I didn't know that you could actually you know. 29:09.14 Lauren Oceanly for the first time it was the right decision for me. Yeah. 29:17.20 Sam Borrow 1 or use 1 on board. So that's I think a really great piece of information for for people who are ambulatory but do use a wheelchair for when you know longer periods of walking or you know are a problem. 29:31.31 Lauren Um, yeah. 29:32.44 Sam Um I had no idea that was an option. So I think that's that's great to know and and that you can reach out to special services to kind of figure that that stuff out. So let's talk. Yeah so let's talk about some of the the onboard experiences that you all got up to. 29:40.50 Lauren Yeah, there you go. 29:51.13 Sam Are you trivia people are you game show people I mean or are you just pool deck people or are you a little bit of everything. 29:58.89 Lauren Okay, so I think for it being our first Disney Cruise or for it being my first cruise full stop I think the person I was traveling with she'd been on maybe 1 or 2 before overseas so she knew more what to expect but because there was that sort of. Disney component to it. Everything was new and exciting for us and because you know we don't have characters you know Disney characters in our backyard either. They were a massive draw card for us. Which mean we did a lot of waiting I think a lot longer than. 30:26.98 Sam Yeah, Oh yeah. E. 30:38.30 Lauren Most um character meets that you would be used to. We were sort of waiting I think the longest we waited was maybe 2 hours ah to me yeah to meet Donald and that was I think because it was his last outing but. 30:45.51 Sam Wow. 30:50.40 dclduo Did did you see to how long did you say oh my gosh. That's park that's park level weight lines. Oh my gosh. 30:54.12 Sam 2 hours she said Brian yeah, well let me let me let me just say 1 thing here as a caveat so generally speaking on Disney Cruise line in The States you will not wait 2 hours but there are some exceptions right? like and the exceptions are. 30:56.44 Lauren 2 hours yeah Yeah 31:13.18 Sam When there is like a really special character or a really special outfit so like for the halloween on the high seas sail sailings. They have Mickey or sardnet Micke Mini daisy and Clarabelle dressed as the Sanderson Sisters from Hocus Pocus and that line will be like an hour. 31:15.51 Lauren M. 31:32.78 Sam And same for chip and dale in their Halloween costumes because you get to meet them both together. Ah, usually about like an hour so there are longer waits but they're 10 but they tend to be for a special costume special character type thing not the norm. But yeah, 2 hours for Donald that's. 31:38.42 Lauren Yeah. 31:52.10 Lauren Yeah, and I have to say with with our character meets we we did learn and I mean it got easier as the sailing went on because we would know when the best time was to sort of join the line or when the best time was. 31:52.59 Sam Quite a long time. Wow. 32:06.20 Sam Is he. 32:09.28 Lauren To try and meet your character in the first place. But I think we were maybe sickened in line to meet chew bucket and Ray which was really exciting and maybe third in line to meet I think goofy. 32:17.36 Sam Oh Wow Yeah. He. 32:25.18 Lauren Ah, but otherwise we waited for a minimum of an hour for every character other than mininie who we were very luckily able to bump into while she was taking a walk on on the the deck and I apologize I put my exit isn't terrible when I see to a dick. Ah. 32:37.64 Sam Oh nice. Yeah I love it. We love your Lauren we love your accent and I'm sure the listeners are loving your accent as well because this is not what they get to hear every day I love it. 32:44.47 Lauren Opinion. Yeah, yeah, no, so so yeah Minnie was out on the deck and I remember the cast member with her said Minnie's just out for a walk. She may choose to move on any time and I was standing there I think she was possibly the. 33:06.79 Sam You see. 33:06.79 Lauren Third character I meet on our sailing and I was standing there with my autograph book waiting behind this. You know in this little line that had formed to try and meet her and I was shaking I was so excited but I was so anxious that she was going to walk away and. 33:18.72 Sam Oh. 33:24.60 Lauren She obviously didn't and I was able to get this photograph which is probably one of my favorites actually because I've got the backdrop of the beautiful blue sea behind us. Um, and I literally I I cried and. 33:32.43 Sam Oh yeah. 33:39.43 Lauren It was really sweet because mini mininie looked a bit shocked and the cast member said oh no, it's okay I cried when I met Minnie too. And yeah, it just was so exciting because I it was really unexpected. You know we weren't actually expecting to bump into her. So I think that made it that much more special and that much more magical. Ah, but yeah. 33:48.96 Sam In here. 33:58.18 Lauren Meeting all of the characters was fantastic and I I love how um, intimate and personal. Those experiences are even with those massive lines. You know you felt like you were the only person in the room for that moment and I thought that was really really great that they could still provide their experience because you know this isn't something that we we get to do. 34:12.71 Sam Yeah. 34:17.65 Lauren Every day over here like you know going all the way to America for most people was a pipe dream. So this was yeah so fantastic and I think the characters were probably one of my most favorite parts of the entire sailing probably closely followed by trivia. 34:22.37 Sam Is he. 34:30.33 Sam Yeah I love that and isn't it Yeah isn't it amazing How they're able to like interact with you through like pantomime you know and you can completely understand each other I Always find it just fascinating. 34:37.38 Lauren Oh yes. 34:47.55 Lauren I Think it's I think it's so great and it's really sweet as well. Ah that each um character is so different too like every interaction is so special and I remember. 34:56.39 Sam Can he. 35:00.75 Lauren Um, when I met Tiana it was really cool because she actually said oh thank you so much for coming to dinner the other night and I was like oh and I mean you know she may not have remembered me but the fact that you know she was taken if she didn't remember me she was having to guess if I had actually been to to dinner with her which made me think she probably does. 35:15.80 Sam Right? She probably does remember you? yeah. 35:20.10 Lauren Remember me because we did have a good conversation. Yeah, and that was that was really neat like it. It did make it that much more personal and yeah, no I'm very happy to have my we have a wee coffee table and I do have my little autograph book with some photos in it of each character. So it's very special and. 35:26.71 Sam Love it. Love it. 35:38.84 Sam Oh I love that all right? you mentioned Trivia what trivia's yeah, what Trivias did you all get up to and um, ah were you any good. Ah. 35:39.69 Lauren Yeah I did. Yep. 35:51.50 Lauren Okay, ah oh my goodness I have I have something that I'm gonna I'm gonna spill the beans on and I really hope that nobody in the Disney Universe um judges me for this but okay so I was. I said to my friend I said we are not stopping going to trivia until we went a middle because I was so Disparate. So so desperatera and so I'm excited by the idea I'm very Competitive. So um, we went to a few different Trivia. We did some of the Disney The Disney themed ones. 36:10.39 Sam This. 36:12.93 dclduo Um, ah. 36:27.34 Lauren We did a Pixar one. We did a 90 s music one or two thousand s music one and I think yeah, mostly it was oh there was maybe a quote one as well and every single time we would do really well but we wouldn't win and. 36:37.55 Sam It is. 36:43.78 Sam Yes. 36:46.70 Lauren I remember I was getting so frustrated. But I mean it was having fun but it just would be so heartbreaking when we'd realized that we were the people like we came sickened a few times and it was just yeah and what ended up happening and this is where um. 36:48.59 Sam Sure. Second yeah. 37:01.95 Lauren I feel a little guilty because I haven't actually admitted this to anybody. But I'm going to tell you because it was really special and honestly it was it was some more magic and another moment where I cried. Basically after after we finished a particular trivia I think it was a party of 2 that won. And we'd come second again and I'd been talking with the castman beforehand you know we've been having a bit of ah banter. You guys know the word banter. Yeah okay, cool, cool. We. We've been having some banter and. 37:21.70 Sam It is. 37:29.85 Sam Um, yeah, we know the word banter. Ah. 37:29.98 dclduo Yes, yes, yes. 37:37.39 Lauren I Um was walking away with my friend we were in the fridge Quarter lounge just to give you an idea of where we are on the ship and as we were walking away. Um this person comes up behind us and goes Oh um, excuse me and we turn around and it's this cast member and she says I know how badly you've been wanting to win one of these and so I just. 37:41.75 Sam Yeah, yeah. 37:55.66 dclduo Now. 37:56.59 Lauren Wondering if you wanted to have this and she gave us a middle and I literally just started sobbing and I said we can stop going to trivia. Yeah I was so relieved because it was it was becoming a chore. It was still fun. But. 37:57.40 Sam Oh. 38:07.20 dclduo Um, yeah. 38:09.46 Sam Ah, ah, right? Ah oh ah I. 38:14.73 Lauren You know I was just so so disparate so determined and I haven't actually told anybody that including pluto who I course I wore my middle proudly to see pluto because I had pluto on it. But yeah, but I'm learning at life. You know, not trivia but life. So. 38:26.30 Sam It was a pluto medal. Oh I Love that myth. Yes, listen listen it doesn't matter how the magic happens it matters that it happens right? I mean cast members. Yeah, and cast members pixiedust people all the time with with all kinds of magic. So don't. 38:33.33 Lauren Yeah, yeah. 38:35.96 dclduo In here. 38:36.48 Lauren Exactly. 38:43.67 Lauren I. 38:45.33 Sam You know I I would say that you don't have to keep it secret anymore. Lauren your secret is no longer safe because it's on the podcast. But honestly these are such magical moments when a cast member does something like that and and honestly sometimes it's another um passenger that. 38:51.85 Lauren Yeah, yeah. 38:58.27 Lauren Um, yeah. 39:02.11 dclduo Actually I was just say we talked to somebody recently may have actually been the other person I talked to from New Zealand and they they mentioned that they really wanted to win a medal. They were going to trivia. They were constantly gettingdding beat by the same family and much like we did one time sam at the end of the cruise or the last trivia we had yeah last last. 39:02.79 Sam That causes that kind of Pixie dust or magic. 39:05.30 Lauren Um, yeah. 39:17.10 Sam Yes, it was yesterday. 39:22.11 dclduo The last ah trivia we had where we were winning. We we went over to this couple that had been trying to win them out just we have plenty take ours like it's more important that you have have ah have a memento than we have another medal. So yeah. 39:27.80 Lauren Yeah. 39:28.69 Sam Yeah. 39:33.73 Lauren No. 39:35.55 Sam Yes, and it it was Brian it was actually with ah it was with Gemma just yesterday it was not with ah it was with our our u k guest not with your um your australian guest that you you spoke to the other day. But yeah, it's. 39:41.83 dclduo Um. 39:49.34 Sam I Think it's fabulous when when people make that kind of magic happen. Whether it be other cruisers or or cast members. So I love that all right? Well so you're relieved you. You don't have to go to trivia anymore. Um, or at least at least it's not mandatory because you can actually go and do some other stuff. Um, what other. 39:57.64 Lauren Ah, yeah. 40:00.57 Lauren Yeah. 40:08.10 Lauren Um, yes. 40:08.92 Sam Yeah, what other things did you get up to on board and let's we'll we'll talk daytime activities because I do want to shift and talk about some of the I know you were were able to do some of the later night activities as well. But let's talk more daytime activities. 40:21.56 Lauren Okay, so yeah, our days I mean we did spend a lot of time waiting in lines for those characters which I think every every minute of that waiting you know, even though sometimes it was hard. There was always something to look at. There was always something going on. 40:27.83 Sam I. 40:40.56 Lauren And we made so many friends waiting in those lines and it was actually really really fun to be able to meet people from around the country and in New Zealand we have um what they would call ° of separation because everybody knows each other that much more than. 40:51.78 Sam Yeah. 40:52.56 dclduo Oh. 40:56.88 Lauren And some of those bigger countries and so very quickly I met people who knew so-and-so and you know it was. It was really neat to do that. But ah other than waiting in Lines. We Gosh What if we do off actually no I' tell you we went to which. 1 of the things I thought was the most exciting mainly because it is such a fun movie to watch and to sing along To. We went to the incanto celebration which yeah was really Fun. We got to make our own miracus and we watched as the children. 41:22.24 Sam Oh Love it. Awesome. 41:31.92 Lauren Sung and danced and we sat there shaking armoracas and then at the very end we got to meet mirabel and Bruno which was really special because I was quite excited to meet them. They were um, characters who yeah I think are really fun and so that was quite that was quite an exciting experience. Um. 41:48.15 Sam Yeah I Love that experience too. They just yeah, they just started doing it first. It got introduced on the magic and then of course it got introduced on the wonder but specifically I think for the Trans-pacific Sailings and then the sailings. 41:51.34 Lauren Yeah. 42:03.32 Lauren Ah. 42:04.66 Sam Out of New Zealand and Australia so it's actually very new. It's a new thing. So most people who have sailed on Disney Cruise line have not experienced the angcanto celebration. So you are so you are in ah in a unique ah position Lauren but yeah, it's a fantastic. Um, it's really fun as you mentioned it's mostly as a singalong. 42:11.30 Lauren Oh yeah. 42:24.60 Sam Um, and then you get to then Mirabel and Bruno come out towards the towards the end and you get to you know, take your picture with them if you if you'd like so that's yeah, super fun. Well let's talk um shows. Um, as. 42:27.39 Lauren Yes. 42:37.31 Lauren No. 42:40.50 Sam Ah, big Disney fan I imagine you were interested in seeing some of the shows in the Walt Disney theater am I correct. Yeah what? what shows did you see and what did you think. 42:47.87 Lauren Definitely yes. 42:52.48 Lauren Okay, so yeah I am a big theater kid so going to the shows was very much high up there on my priority list. We were sure to get there super early each night to get a good seat but we had the Disney Dreams. Golden Mickeys and frozen which were I mean for me all very new and all very exciting. But if I had to pick which one I enjoyed the most if I had to pick shall I say because I think they were all actually fantastic. Yeah yeah. 43:16.48 Sam E. 43:25.10 Sam Wait I'm gonna I'm gonna tell I'm going to tell you to hold off because we're gonna do a rapid fire at the end. So I want to hold your answer for now. But you're having a tough time obviously picking your favorite but we'll we'll talk your favorite at the end but it sounds like you like you enjoyed them all awesome. 43:30.25 Lauren Okay, okay. Yes, Okay, yeah I did I think they were fantastic. Yeah, blowing away. 43:45.50 Sam Awesome! Oh yay I love hearing that because I think they're fantastic I think the quality is just so so very high on Disney Cruise line and I'm not sure that any other cruise line can even come close and certainly no weather cruise line I think can beat them but I I don't even think they come close. Let's um, talk a little bit about those you know, late night adult activities. It sounds like you spent some time in azure and or azure hike I never remember how to say that or the cat and at the cadillac lounge. Um. 44:07.94 Lauren I have. 44:19.63 Sam Did you go to match your mate. Did you go to some of the adult only Trivia's or game shows. What did you get up to. 44:27.98 Lauren Yeah, so we didn't do too many adults only things purely because I guess adults only trivia or um, like met your mate Certainly Why wasn't with a mate I don't have a mate sadly so it felt a little. Ah, little strange to go so that I'm sure it would have been fun. But yeah, yeah. 44:45.35 Sam Oh and okay, next time you're on next time you're on a Disney ship. it's it's it's hilarious and fun to watch so I'm gonna tell and I that who embarrass themselves. Yes, yeah. 44:47.28 dclduo Oh no, it's such a fun show to watch. Yeah, yeah, it's more of a it's more of a comedy show that's supported by volunteers from the audience that it is this city. Yeah, exactly exactly? yeah. 45:02.22 Lauren Ah, next time Definitely we did go to karaoke though which was really fun. Yeah, um, it wasn't something I was expecting to actually participate in I was just going along to watch and to support my friend and. 45:05.30 Sam Do. 45:16.85 Lauren All of a sudden I was up on stage so that was um, a little unexpected. Um, we actually believe it or not did a bit of a a throwback classic sort of I'll say classic. Um some people might argue but high school musical. We did breaking free. 45:18.35 Sam What were you singing. 45:34.96 Sam Ah, ah I love it. Ah. 45:35.79 Lauren And yeah I was Troy she was gabrieella and I think probably actually looks like we were trying to reenex the movie because that was about the level of ah anxiety and talent that was on display. But. It was really fun and we did actually while we were at karaoke another person got up to perform and they went up with some of the people from their sailing party and I kid you not. They had like a full-on dance routine choreographed. 46:06.10 Sam No. 46:09.60 Lauren For their karaoke. So I don't know whether they've been practicing it or whether it just all came out for the first time but it was incredible. So it was yeah, really fun to be there and it was definitely something that I think people had a lot of liquid courage on board. But yeah, so it was it was really nice because that's not something. 46:15.88 Sam Oh my gosh. 46:28.63 Lauren You know that we do a lot here in New Zealand ah so yeah, it was really neat. 46:33.25 Sam Oh I love that you know it's definitely popular here in the states but I will say on Disney Cruise line there seems to be like just a higher caliber of talent. Um, yeah, and it's. 46:43.70 Lauren Yes. 46:47.20 Sam Probably because it's you know people like you and me Lauren um, you know theater kids who maybe couldn't make it professionally in the theater but are probably better than like the average person singing and so yeah, yeah. 46:54.33 Lauren Yeah, yeah. 47:00.89 Lauren Yeah, possibly yeah and then the other special thing actually that I really enjoyed was going to the Cadillac lounge and there was a um I mean obviously I've not been on a Disney Cruise before but I'm assuming that the performers who are on board. Sort of rotate through but there was this incredible singer from the yeah Uk his name was will Pearson and he was just amazing I tried to go to every single one of his sets and I think on the very final night was his second to last set everybody I think was pretty tired and had. 47:28.43 Sam Ah. 47:38.31 Lauren Kind of all popped off to bed I turned up and I was literally the only person in the room and so I had a little private show and it was It was really special and I mean yeah I think eventually a few more people drifted in but there was suddenly you know a good few songs that just sat there going. 47:41.70 Sam Wow. 47:55.35 Lauren I Can't believe this is my life like Wow and yeah, it was really really neat to be able to request songs and to just sit there and enjoy his talent and yeah I love music like I'm that person who you know as I did but the shows actually I sat there and they only had to play the first few bars of. 47:58.13 Sam Ah. 48:14.38 Lauren Whatever song it was and I was sobbing with excitement and joy because I just yeah music is a massive thing for me. So yeah, it was really cool to experience that as well because it wasn't just Disney that he was performing. You know there was some some jazz and some of the classics from the Beatles and. 48:15.89 Sam Oh. 48:25.15 Sam Is. 48:32.24 Lauren You know other incredible bands. So yeah, it was. It was really neat. 48:34.00 Sam Yeah Disney has some fantastic performers in the different you know bar venues and on the wonder obviously Cadillac lounge I feel like is probably you know that and the french quarter lounge are like the 2 Best. 48:49.00 Lauren Yeah. 48:49.46 Sam Like music venues on board and there's always you know a performer in the afternoon or in the evening or both um in those in those spaces. It's just to a really fun fun experience Now we talked a little bit about dining. Um, so we don't need to go you know. 48:59.70 Lauren M. 49:07.54 Sam Deep dive on on the food. Obviously we know the food is very rich and there's a lot of it and so you have to kind of scale yourself back so that you don't make yourself sick Obviously um, but what did you think of you know the entertainment in the dining room. You obviously you had tianas. 49:14.31 Lauren Ah, yeah. 49:24.88 Sam And and you of course had animators palette um, as 2 of your dining experiences and then of course you had Tritons which is a little bit more ah muted formal. You know there's not a show that goes along with it. But. 49:26.56 Lauren Yeah. 49:38.94 Sam Were you expecting all of this dining entertainment or did you know or were you sort of surprised by it and and what did you think of it all right. 49:45.53 Lauren I think I'm not sure whether I would have preferred to go in blind or whether I'm grateful that I did have some idea of what to expect from dining on a Disney Cruise because because I'd done my homework so to speak I did I did know that there was going to be a little bit of. I guess craziness while we ate ah but it was it was really neat I did really enjoy it and I think I was excited and glad that ah I knew about say what happened to animators because it meant that I could go in with that knowledge to. Be able to do my best drawing and to be prepared to try and capture that at the end as well until so to stay until the end in case, you know for some reason we tried to leave early. Ah I think I was also quite grateful that we had Tiana's first and then Triton's and then animators because I think even though Tine's was very overwhelming on night. One. It was a nice way to kick things off because it sort of really did you know set the tone for the rest of our sailing and I know also with our sailor wave party that. A lot of the people in the audience with us were just like oh my gosh. What is this because we are not used to. You know that big loud entertainment here like it just isn't something that we really have and so it was quite a experience to go from that to Tiana's to then the next night to have. 51:14.51 Lauren Tritons where it was a little bit more formal and if anything a bit of ah ah a nice break from from it all ah to then animators as well and and it was really neat to have animators as our our last um session as well for breakfast on the final day because I think that was quite special. 51:20.16 Sam Oh yeah. 51:33.23 Lauren Ah, to be in such a gorgeous restaurant you know and to have so many cool things to look at while we ate. So yeah. 51:40.16 Sam Yeah. 51:43.31 dclduo Ron I'm curious. So just kind of wind things down here for by a few questions. But so mention up front the you know was peculiar for folks when they're getting announced in that was a little bit of a you know outside the norm for kiwi culture anything else. Onboard that you thought was a little like you know Disney hadn't accounted for the you know culture that they were kind of encountering and bringing the cruises down to Australia New Zealand 52:08.22 Lauren Oh yes I think one that was very controversial in all of the Facebook groups was certainly tipping because here in New Zealand that isn't a thing and you know there were a lot of people on Facebook little keyboard warriors who would. 52:17.83 dclduo He. 52:19.76 Sam So ah tipping. Oh yeah, yeah. 52:27.79 Lauren Getting quite upset about you know this is New Zealand and we don't do that here and and things but it was sort of I guess because everything was also an american dollars rather than australian or New Zealand dollars it already was quite foreign to us and it was something you just had to I guess. 52:39.36 Sam E. 52:47.25 Sam Right. 52:47.56 Lauren Account for and I mean Irony was in the position of needing to tip a few times when I was buying coffee normally and even then I was not really sure about what the custom was or sort of what to I expect or anything like that. But. You know you just tried not to think about it too much., But certainly I think there were just a few people who were a little bit I I won't say upset but they're just as different and it's something that we really know much about and so I think there could have possibly been a little bit more education around what that was especially say with booking. 53:05.51 dclduo Um, with. 53:07.41 Sam Yeah, ah. 53:13.33 Sam Yeah. 53:24.91 Lauren You're saling. You know the price that you paid wasn't necessarily the price that you were paying because you had those gratuities on top of that and I think for some people that was a little bit of a shock but certainly once we knew that that was the custom we were okay with it and I think that the the service that you were receiving is. 53:28.95 Sam Write. 53:44.20 Lauren You know so incredible that you want to be able to give those staff. You know those taps anyway, but certainly tapping was a big one and also shopping because the prices were in us dollars. Ah the new Zealand dollar is not great. So it didn't mean that. 53:54.87 Sam Oh interesting. Yeah yeah. 54:00.95 Lauren We were spending a lot of money they were I mean I don't think anyone would have bought anything if it was in New Zealand dollars because it was very expensive. Um, when you converted it but I just tried not to think about it. 54:00.96 dclduo Oh they didn't they didn't offer prices. They didn't offer prices up in the local currency they were still you dollars. Ah. 54:06.37 Sam Yeah. 54:13.59 Sam Yeah, ah right? So at least you didn't you could like ignore you could like ah ignore ignore it or like be just kind of blind right? like put your blinders on and and real and not think about the conversion rate because what is it. It's like 2 to 1 or something. Yeah. 54:21.84 Lauren yeah yeah I didn't think about those $13 coffees I you know 13 New Zealand dollar coffees. It was yeah but there were things I did know at least and I was grateful to go in for shopping. For example. 54:31.62 Sam Right? Ah 13 Ah. 54:40.54 Lauren I I had a budget and I also had a shopping plan I knew what I was wanting to get and we did line up on the very first day actually waiting for the shop doors to open so that we could go and buy those items before they sold out because that was one thing I think they weren't expecting. 54:44.41 Sam He. 54:52.99 Sam Right. 54:57.72 Lauren The enthusiasm shall we say for all things Disney in everything sold out every saling. There were some things that sold out well they were still sailing in Australia that never even made it to New Zealand because they just kept on restocking and then were just completely sold out which. 55:11.75 Sam Yeah. 55:13.89 Lauren Was a little hard. We also weren't able to have mickey bars here in New Zealand because of some of our um food laws heartbreaking. 55:17.48 dclduo I heard that I heard that they had to switch that they they ran out of micy bars and had to restock with a local ice cream bar that and people were pretty upset about it. So yeah I would be upset too. Yeah, yeah someone someone else complained to. 55:19.22 Sam We. 55:27.85 Lauren Um, yeah, yeah, but no I did so get my spirit Jersey which was really special. Yeah. 55:28.24 Sam Oh that makes me so sad. Oh good. 55:38.20 dclduo Yeah, someone else was complaining that the beer on board was all local beer and then they disparaged the local beer so there it's the local beer here is crap. So yeah, ah. 55:45.00 Lauren Um, ah. 55:45.56 Sam Ah, yeah, well interesting thoughts Lauren I think the the tipping thing is it makes sense. Um, because it's not a thing in a lot of parts of the world. Even we know that some of the in some european countries obviously tipping is also not really a thing. And so we've seen in some of the Facebook groups ah for sailings over in Europe in particular because while they're still heavily american there are you know more people from the U K and from you know France and Germany and a few other places. 56:04.34 Lauren Um. 56:20.80 Sam Um, but still like I said heavily american but there is a lot of work that gets done in those Facebook groups in you know people asking questions and usually americans saying hey these people don't get paid as much as they. 56:24.33 Lauren Um. 56:32.43 Lauren Yes. 56:36.42 Sam Would if they were paid a you know minimum wage in your country and they rely on the tips and that's just how the system works and this is a very American thing to tip we do it every day in restaurants and coffee shops and everywhere basically so except for several like clothing stores where there's. Obviously you know set prices. You don't tip. Um, but yeah restaurants and bars and you know and any any food place basically tipping is a part of our culture. But um, yeah I and totally understand that if it's not really well. 56:56.38 Lauren M. 57:13.44 Sam Publicize and not really clear at particularly at the time of booking that can be really hard I mean what they probably should have done for those sailings is include the you know like the prepaid gratuities you could. Of course you can always like raise or lower the gratuities that. 57:13.87 Lauren Yes. 57:25.59 Lauren Move. 57:31.44 Sam Disney sort of sets for the for the cast members I would tell people anyone who's listening please don't lower them. The disney doesn't set them that high by Us standards. Um, please at least you know, please pay that um those prepaid gratuities because the cast members are relying on it. Um, but if you have excellent service you know and you can afford to feel free to tip more. So yeah. 57:57.15 Lauren Totally and I just I did want to say this is something that I'm not entirely sure how common it is on Disney Sailings and I guess fast. It was a strange but kind of unique experience in that because we weren't. Sailing anywhere. It didn't necessarily matter as much but we actually we had our sail wave party at about four thirty in the afternoon and we didn't actually leave port until two a m so. 58:20.88 Sam Is he. 58:28.88 dclduo Um, yeah, yeah. 58:30.31 Sam Yeah, ah so that that is a little It is a little unusual I will tell you usually the sailaway party is right before you actually sail away but there are times where a sail away gets delayed and it is hours later. We've had that happen. Ah so we just had that. 58:35.77 Lauren Yeah, ah. 58:44.34 dclduo We just? yeah, we just had that happen in San Diego where they did the sail away they honked the horn and then we didn't leave for like for three four hours yeah yeah Yeah a lot of it depends on a lot of it depends on if they've been able to get all the. 58:48.20 Sam And to us. But. 58:52.53 Sam 2 or three four hours yeah something like that. 58:55.00 Lauren Yeah, no, they said this. 59:01.69 dclduo Ah, resupply on the ship that they need and you know that sort of thing. So yeah. 59:02.71 Lauren Yeah, they said it was so that their cast members could enjoy Auckland which I think is probably true because we were there on a a Saturday so they could have enjoyed some of the nightlife and things. But what we actually did is we went to sleep for a few hours and then woke up. 59:09.63 Sam Um, oh yeah, yeah. 59:21.37 Lauren Ah, at 2 am to say goodbye to Auckland and to watch the the auckland skyline as it drift. Yeah, it was real. It was actually really cool to do that? Yeah, just a little bit different I guess but it was strange to be officially on holiday as they told us but then to just be sat in port for. 59:21.83 dclduo Enough. 59:27.13 Sam That is cool. 59:39.86 Lauren Several hours but you do forget unless you're outside. You do forget that you're even on a ship which I thought was incredible and like kind of mind blowing really, but yeah, definitely next time I'm hoping we will actually leave when we leave so to speak. But yeah. 59:43.39 Sam Yeah, yeah. 59:55.64 dclduo Um, well I guess Lauren I'm going to save 1 more question for the very end of the show. But I think we have reached that point in the show where I need to hand you over to Sam. For some arbitrary questions some arbitrary rules and a dash of judgment are the round we know is rapid fire. So Sam You want to take it away. 01:00:10.89 Sam Absolutely all right? Lauren you knew this was coming I know you listened to our show I'm going to ask you some Disney favorites and then I'm going to ask you some Disney Cruise line favorites. 01:00:14.87 Lauren Here? yes. 01:00:23.97 Sam I'm going to check off the box and say your favorite ship is the Disney wonder. So I'm not going to ask you that question all right? So we'll start with who is your favorite Disney character and Disney means anything that Disney owns. 01:00:27.51 Lauren And. 01:00:38.77 Lauren Or I'm going to say something a little potentially left field here and I think if I met this particular character I Would once again Cry I Actually really like baimax. 01:00:53.40 Sam Um, yes Brian is obsessed with maymax. Yeah yeah, oh yeah. 01:00:54.32 dclduo Um, oh one of my favorites. 1 of my favorites. Yeah. 01:00:57.45 Lauren Ah yes, ah love her Love him so much otherwise dory from finding the email as well as my nickname was dory all through high school. So yeah, another special one for me I yeah. 01:01:08.22 Sam And ah I'm not sure that's a compliment Lauren. Ah. 01:01:12.32 Lauren I don't know but hey it's It's great to have lots of dory merch because of it. So yeah. 01:01:17.90 Sam Ah, perfect. Love it all right? What is your favorite Disney movie. 01:01:21.79 Lauren Oh no, oh my my favorite Disney movie. Yeah, but is really hard I I probably do have a few favorites so I'm just going to say the one that's top of mind today and go with le low on stitch. 01:01:23.75 Sam I Know it's hard. 01:01:38.22 Sam Awesome! We were just talking about lelo and stitch earlier today. We were talking about what's his name agent bubbles. Yeah yeah, all right favorite Disney song. 01:01:45.11 Lauren Ah, ah yeah. 01:01:45.97 dclduo Yes, yes. 01:01:52.67 Lauren Favorite Disney Song oh be a necessities. Yeah this I feel like these are really unconventional answers. But yeah. 01:02:00.20 dclduo Nice. 01:02:01.53 Sam Awesome! All right know this I mean Bareness who doesn't who doesn't like bare necessities is classic I mean Jungle Book is such a great one? Yeah, all right? We're go to stick with ah in the. 01:02:12.59 Lauren That. 01:02:17.18 Sam Creative Arts and ask you and we're circling back to this question we talked about earlier which is your favorite show. Favorite stage show on the Disney Wonder you have three choices. 01:02:30.63 Lauren Oh dear I'm gonna go I really did enjoy the golden ni cases. Ah yeah I'm sorry Sam. 01:02:36.38 Sam Wow you are in team Brian right now not team sam ah, the golden ah I don't know about that Brian I'm the one who makes the rules of this game. Ah, all right. 01:02:37.36 dclduo You are You are you are you are winning. You are winning. 01:02:44.87 Lauren Yeah. 01:02:52.58 Sam What was your favorite um bar space on board. The Disney wonder. 01:02:57.10 Lauren Oh I did really enjoy the Cadillac lounge I think. 01:03:03.60 Sam Awesome Favorite onboard activity. 01:03:09.86 Lauren All of the trivia. 01:03:11.99 Sam Awesome I Thought you were going to say all of the characters but Trivia is a great answer to. 01:03:16.23 Lauren I mean all of the characters definitely. But I think nick' sailing I Might you know if I was going to be doing something again and again I probably am not going to stand in line for characters for that same length of time again and again cause it. It was a lot and now that I've met them I'm this. 01:03:31.39 Sam Yeah. 01:03:35.18 Lauren I'm less excited to meet some of them ike no offense I might might my attitude might change by the next time but the trivia was fun every time regardless of how badly we did So for definitely yes. 01:03:37.96 Sam Um, right? right? one? Yeah, ah well you might want to you know stand in line if they had a special outfit or if it was a special character. Yeah yeah, all right. Tell me a favorite space on the ship. So just a space on the ship that you really enjoyed other than Cadillac lounge. 01:04:02.70 Lauren Ah, oh I I did really enjoy being I in the adults only area on the pool deck I Thought that was quite quite nice. It was It was crazy to me how much quieter it was when you could put. 01:04:10.58 Sam Um, oh yeah. 01:04:19.57 Lauren It was weird. You could walk from. You know the big family area a few meters and it was like you were in a completely different world and I I was amazed by how they'd managed to block that sound out. It was very very tranquil and it was really nice to be able to lie there in the sun and relax because. 01:04:20.11 Sam Me. 01:04:39.40 Lauren Yes, we didn't get off the ship but you could still do you know some some bathing and some relaxing there so that was that was really nice. 01:04:43.47 Sam Um, yeah, awesome. What was your favorite rotational dining restaurant. 01:04:53.20 Lauren I'm going to go with animators I Love them all. But animators was probably my favorite. 01:04:58.38 Sam Awesome. That's my favorite as well. Um, all right now we've got to talk a little bit of food I've got to ask what was a favorite suite item on board and what was a favorite savory item on board. We'll start with the suite. 01:05:12.23 Lauren O Favorite sweet item I definitely did enjoy The is it the been bait. But how do you say it? the banettes the fate the vignier. Yeah, the vigners they. 01:05:23.30 dclduo Other Beiers veas. 01:05:24.85 Sam Ah, Ben yes, yes. 01:05:29.80 Sam This is. 01:05:29.21 Lauren I'd heard so much about them and so it was really exciting to get to try those. We did only have them the 1 time at Tiana's but I did really enjoy them and I think next time I would be um I already learnt about the french quarter happy hour after we got off the ship. 01:05:35.18 Sam It is. 01:05:43.73 Sam Yes. 01:05:47.71 Lauren But I think next time I would be going to happy hour definitely to have some more because they were fantastic and it was exciting to get to try them and I probably would have said them mickey bars if I got to try those or dolw whip if I got to try that because I feel like those are very much things that in New Zealand we're like whoa Disney. 01:05:51.74 Sam Yes, they are Delicious. Is. 01:06:06.28 Sam Yeah, that's all right. 01:06:06.74 Lauren Ah, Disney food. But unfortunately I couldn't try those and there were no mickeyturos either which I would have loved to have tried as well. Yeah. 01:06:08.50 dclduo Ah. 01:06:12.34 Sam Oh. 01:06:14.88 dclduo So to well so two 2 tips here. So unlesss they just weren't on board so they do have dul whip usually at 1 of the pool bars. Um, it's. 01:06:22.73 Lauren Yeah. 01:06:26.22 dclduo There's a pool bar that's like near the ice cream station and they usually have a dul whit machine there and now it's possible. 01:06:28.66 Sam You have to. It's a it's for purchase though it's like and it's usually they'll make you like a rum drink with the dole with that's but you can have just the dole whip but they still they charge you yes but they still charge you for it. Brian it's not like it's the ice cream machine right next to there. Yeah. 01:06:35.22 dclduo Well, but you can ask for a non-coholic dul wit sure sure and but the other but but the other tip is the Mickey Churro waffle ah so what you you can. 01:06:43.41 Lauren Ah, yeah, no I couldn't find any anyway. 01:06:48.11 Sam E. 01:06:55.60 dclduo Order if you if if Lauren you could eat it. It's a it's a a fun breakfast food that gets close to a choro but not quite so yeah, yeah, oh it's extremely sweet. 01:06:57.41 Lauren Hey. 01:07:01.48 Sam Yeah, it's very sweet though are yeah all right Favorite savory item. 01:07:04.15 Lauren Ah, next time next time. 01:07:12.21 Lauren Favorite savory item. All of the bread I did really enjoy every evening I mean I tried really hard not to fill up on the breed but it was really really exciting having breed before dinner. Um. 01:07:17.77 Sam Um, yeah. 01:07:22.57 Sam Okay. 01:07:29.80 Lauren Especially because it was different every every night and yeah, that was quite nice. Yeah. 01:07:30.68 Sam Yeah I love that all right? The last question of Rapid Fire Lauren is bucket list cruise if you could go anywhere on the world in the world and it was on a Disney Cruise ship where would you go. 01:07:48.29 Lauren You know I mean I would obviously love to come over to the states and to cruise pretty much anywhere there probably on one of the already established routes but otherwise it would be really really cool to go back and Cruise around Japan. 01:07:53.75 Sam His. 01:08:05.15 Sam Oh yeah. 01:08:06.85 Lauren Feel like do a little bit of Tokyo Disney Tokyo sea and then to cruise around sort of those islands because yeah I went there when I was a teenager and I was too young to really appreciate it so it would be really magical to get to go back. But. No, even just getting to cruise in my own backyard is awesome. So maybe if they could do a cruise that actually travels around New Zealand instead of just from one port that would be really special to. 01:08:31.95 Sam Yeah, yeah, awesome. Well they all those all sound wonderful I would be jumping on that Tokyo one for sure. 01:08:41.60 Lauren Yeah. 01:08:42.92 dclduo Well Lauren just really appreciate you taking the time to come to us all the way from down under in New Zealand to share your experience sailing with Disney Cruise on and these fabulous new Australia crowds. Fabulous New Australia cruises that they are doing it sounds like you had an amazing time. 01:09:00.82 Sam New Zealand cruises sorry you have to say New Zealand cruise australasian oh I like that australasian and that's great. Ah I'm learning geography today. Ah. 01:09:02.85 dclduo Australia New Zealand cruises sam yeah 01:09:04.49 Lauren Ah, yeah Australasian if you want to use that word. Yeah, that's what you call this little part of the world. Yeah here. 01:09:14.64 dclduo Ah I don't know where to pick up Sam um, yeah, but you cut me off in the middle of getting there. So ah I have an have to start over? yeah. 01:09:17.85 Sam You had a question you wanted to ask? sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry, go ahead start start that again. Sorry okay. 01:09:27.92 dclduo Well Lauren we really appreciate taking the time to come to us all the way from down under to ah to share your experience on this fabulous cruise that you took out of New Zealand or out of Auckland I had 1 more question which is it sounds like you're definitely going to go back. Ah, you know or you really want to go back? um. 01:09:39.84 Lauren Yes. 01:09:42.60 dclduo Is is that right? did you did you really enjoy the experience enough that you want to get back on board. 01:09:46.90 Lauren A thousand percent in fact I would love to know if you have any tip for dealing with like the post Disney Cruise calmdown because I have been genuinely so depressed. It's really terrible. But um. 01:09:57.41 Sam Oh. 01:10:00.21 Lauren I have looked at doing another sailing in about a year's time and there's also rumors that they will bring over a bigger ship the following year if the success of Disney um, down under does continue which is also really exciting because. I thought the wonder was incredible, but it looks like some of those other newer ships are even even more magical. So yes, definitely I will be on one but I really really need to stop feeling so sad because you know it's a long It's a long time away. So if you have any taps. Please let me know. 01:10:32.11 Sam Yeah, all right? Well the tips I'm going to give you the the number. Well there's 2 tips. Ah the first tip is book the next one because then it gives you something to look forward to right? Um, but the real one that. 01:10:35.15 dclduo Um. 01:10:42.73 Lauren Yes. 01:10:47.39 Sam I use. Well I mean it's a little different for Brian and I but it's listen to our podcast because no no, that's what I'm saying no, that's not what a Ryan that's not what I'm saying I'm saying I don't I mine is different because. 01:10:51.63 dclduo No, you don't wait no hold on hold on you don't listen to our podcast at all. But. 01:10:54.63 Lauren Ah, but. 01:11:02.23 dclduo Um, yeah. 01:11:05.11 Sam Ah, we're recording the podcast. So for us the thing that keeps us going until the next cruise and keeps us from having that dcl depression um is really talking to other people who have cruised right. 01:11:13.91 Lauren Yeah. 01:11:20.42 Sam And hearing their stories and getting to relive that magic through their eyes and so that's what we've just done here today with you. Um, we and that's the thing that keeps me going so I think and I've heard this from other folks that listening to Disney Cruise line podcast is the thing that keeps them excited. 01:11:30.85 Lauren Hey. 01:11:39.00 Sam And keeps them from being depressed if their next crews this far. Ah, you know far away you know I mean yeah this is a she asks for solutions I give solutions Brian I'd say ah. 01:11:40.45 dclduo What? what? what? shameless self- promotion you just engaged in Samantha but you know there you go there, you go? Ah yeah there you ah well. 01:11:50.66 Lauren Um, yeah, thank you Sam! Thank you. 01:11:57.35 dclduo Thank you again so much for coming on. We we really really appreciate you taking the time. 01:12:00.85 Lauren Hey thank you so much for having me and who knows maybe one day I'll be able to join you two on board. How cool would that be. 01:12:07.95 Sam That would be amazing Lauren we would love that anytime you join us anytime. 01:12:10.10 dclduo Ah, yes, would love it. Love it. 01:12:11.57 Lauren Hey.